Vice President's Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Steve Preston as Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Small Business Administration
Washington, D.C.

4:46 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) At ease, please.

Well, thank you all very much. Thank you, Liza. And I appreciate
that warm welcome. It's almost enough to make me want to run for office
again. (Laughter.) Almost.

My duty today is to help administer the oath of office to your new
administrator. I know it's a proud moment for Steve Preston and his
family, and he's got a great family. And we're glad to have all of them
with us here today. Steve, of course, was recently confirmed by the
United States Senate -- and I note that the nomination got through
without requiring me to cast a tie-breaking vote -- (laughter) -- which
is a good indicator. In fact, the Senate approved the nomination by
unanimous consent, and that is a reflection of the high confidence that
all of us have in Steve Preston for this important assignment.

Steve comes to the office with the great respect of current and former
colleagues. He's a strong executive with a superb track record in the
private sector. He understands the world of commerce and free
enterprise from every angle; he's a man who focuses on results; and he's
deeply committed to this agency and to its mission. The President and I
are very pleased he has accepted this opportunity to serve the country.

Under Steve's leadership, the Small Business Administration will
maintain its critical role in strengthening the free enterprise system
in the United States. Americans are, by nature, an entrepreneurial
people -- and we have filled a continental nation with small firms that
create the majority of our economy's new jobs and export their products
to the world. The incredible strength, vibrancy, and flexibility of our
economy spring from the creative gifts of men and women striving in
freedom. So every step that government takes to encourage free
enterprise adds not just to the wealth of our society, but also to its
character.

So the President has taken important steps to assist small business
owners and their employees by reducing taxes, encouraging investment,
and removing obstacles to their growth. Under tax relief signed by
President Bush, 25 million small business owners have received tax cuts
averaging $3,600 a year just last year alone. We increased the annual
deduction for equipment purchases for small businesses, from $25,000 to
$100,000. And we began to phase out the unfair federal death tax.

Because small and medium sized companies make up the vast majority of
U.S. exporters, we've also expanded free trade opportunities for the
nation's entrepreneurs. We're also working to make health care more
affordable for small businesses and for their employees. We are urging
Congress to enact Association Health Plans -- so that small firms can
pool together to have the same negotiating leverage as larger companies.

An effective, proactive Small Business Administration is part of our
administration's comprehensive agenda to promote free enterprise. And
this agency is well equipped for the task. For a half-century the SBA
has come through for small businesses with everything from start-up
loans, to venture capital, to contracting opportunities. The
beneficiaries of SBA assistance have numbered in the millions, and the
good impact on our economy would be nearly impossible to overstate.

I also want to offer a word of gratitude to the men and women who work
at SBA, not just here in Washington but in the regional offices all
across the country. Each one of you is part of an agency that makes a
real difference for entrepreneurs and families across the nation.
You're helping to make possible the investment and enterprise that
generates jobs, strengthens communities, and improves the lives of your
fellow citizens. Whether it's aiding an inventor as he turns out a new
idea, or coming up to help a shop owner rebuild after a natural
disaster, SBA employees are engaged in effective, worthwhile, and very
important work. You do it well, and we appreciate it.

Now it is my honor to administer the oath of office to the new
Administrator of the SBA. He assumes this important office with all the
trust and good wishes of all of us. I know this agency will benefit
from his leadership, and the nation will benefit from his service. So,
Steve, if you'd step forward, I'll be happy to administer the oath.

Raise your right hand. It's the first test is to make sure they --
(Laughter.) -- use the right hand.

(The oath is administered.)

MR. PRESTON: Well, Vice President Cheney; my wife, Molly, family out
here, ladies and gentlemen, and partners at the SBA, thank you all for
being here. This is just a terrific turn-out. I really appreciate it.

Mr. Vice President, having you take the added time to come to the SBA is
just a terrific honor for all of us. And I want everyone here to know
that it was the White House's idea to do it here so employees could
participate, so we are thrilled. We're honored, and this is just great
for us.

I've actually had a chance to be with the Vice President in a few
settings over the last few months, and it has really reinforced so much
of what I thought to be true before coming into this role, and that is
that he is a leader who brings tremendous wisdom, tremendous depth of
experience, and tremendous intellectual horsepower to the decisions that
guide our country every day, and I'm so thankful for that.

I'd also like to thank the President. I'm just so proud to be serving a
President who stands tall in tough decisions, who manages on principle
and not on polls, and who has done so much to help create an environment
where not only businesses can flourish but also small businesses can
thrive. His tenacity in pursuing a less onerous tax environment, fewer
regulatory burdens, better access to health care, and fair access to
federal contracts has just helped millions of small businesses in real
and tangible ways be more effective at what they do every day, and it is
just so important.

Now when I began to consider a possible role in public service, there
were a few things that were really important to me. I was looking for
an opportunity that would help me have the opportunity to serve people
directly. I was hopeful that I could find something that would allow me
to use my business experience in a very relevant way. And it was
important to me that it was something that I could be really passionate
about. Well, it doesn't get much better than this. The people of the
SBA play a role in expanding our ownership society by opening the door
of opportunity to millions of Americans through training, through
counseling, through access to capital, through access to federal
contracts, through advocacy. And we have the opportunity to help
Americans in their most dire time of need, following a natural disaster.

The small businesses that we serve, they help drive our economy. They
create jobs. They help people realize their dreams. And as I've seen
in the Gulf -- I was down there this past week; I've had a chance to go
down there a couple of other times -- they're the first ones in there to
transform communities because they take risks that other people won't
take. And as I like to say, with every dollar of equity they put into
that business, they match it with $10 of sweat equity. And we all get
to play a part in helping these people along that path, not by giving
them hand-outs, but by giving a little support so that they can make it
happen.

So I'm blessed by the opportunity to serve this great mission alongside
of all of you. And once again, I just thank you for coming. And thank
you, Mr. Vice President, for doing this.